Why E-commerce Content is Still not an Easy Problem to Solve

Like any business, e-commerce has its share of trials and tribulations, especially when it comes to content. For an online shopper, product descriptions must paint a picture and make up for the inability to touch feel the product – this makes content paramount. Obviously, when it comes to e-commerce, it’s content that impacts sales, drives traffic and creates brand loyalty.

So, while good content will give you a boost, bad content can jeopardize your online retail business. But what makes e-commerce content such a troublemaker? Here is a look:

Content is Exhaustive and Expensive to Create

Among the various issues in e-commerce, content is number one. Why do you ask? Because content isn’t free and is writing that needs to be fresh, contextual and unique. It also needs to reflect the brand’s ideology and be accessible to search engine crawlers. This is why an effective content strategy needs writers, editors, keyword researchers, and quality analysts. This can be an expensive proposition, for example hiring a content writer can cost you from $400 up to even $20,000.

Content Needs Constant Refreshes and is Recurring in Nature

So you got your e-commerce content strategy ready, and you think that’s enough? Sorry but it’s not. Content is recurring in nature. It needs to be constantly tweaked and refreshed to stay up to date. You can’t just write a piece and forget about it. This means that you need someone to perform regular overview and research. This can be done by the internal staff, or you may need to hire a freelancer. For all these reasons content can’t be a one-time investment, it has to be constantly reviewed and edited.

Content has the Power to Ward the Customer Off

According to stats, 30-percent of consumers abandon the shopping cart due to poor product descriptions; 40-percent of consumers return due to poor content quality, and around 87-percent lose brand trust due to inaccurate information. This means that quality and veracity of content are key areas in e-commerce content marketing. While it’s obvious that the retailer would want to provide correct information about the product, sometimes even the best product content management, due to various management layers, can have a mix up that undermines the consistency and integrity of the data. This creates havoc that is unpredictable and something that is easy to resolve.

Content has to Change with Changing Communication Needs

With the ever-changing environment, the need for change in content strategy is vital. You might have 10 products to sell today, but tomorrow you may increase to 15. You may even feel the need to change your brand voice. These are some cases that require a change in content. This involves research and content writing that is niche writing and time-consuming. This means money and time.

As you can see, content is an important marketing tool. This is true for both retaining loyalty of existing customers and attracting new customers. While some e-commerce companies use existing staff, others onboard contractual or freelance writers. This is a tricky business and needs effort and money. Content is a problem for both big players and small retailers alike. While the former has to struggle with the volume of content regarding inventory and time, small players get crushed by the weight of time and budget. However, with training, readable URLs, unique headlines and careful research, content can be created in a structured manner and with fewer chances of duplication.